A South Korean smartphone retailer on Thursday reported that a new iPhone 8 smartphone produced by US tech giant Apple Inc. was found to have a seemingly swollen battery, causing concerns about safety.

There have been a number of reports related to battery-swelling problems surrounding Apple's new flagship smartphone since its global release in September. The iPhone 8 was launched in the South Korean market earlier this month.

(Yonhap)

"We found that a battery was swollen after opening a new product," a retailer from South Korea's southern port city of Busan said. The product of concern was a gold-colored 64 GB iPhone 8.

It marks the first time that the battery problem has been found in South Korea.

Last year, Samsung Electronics Co. suspended production of the Galaxy Note 7 smartphone due to reports of its battery catching fire around the globe. (Yonhap)